


The Minor Arcana

by NyxEternal



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, F/M, Gen, Implied Child Abuse, Multi, Other, Poltical Manneuvering, Side Stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-08-28 16:40:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8453872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxEternal/pseuds/NyxEternal
Summary: What happens before and between the main chapters of The Arcana.





	1. The Ace Of Cups

_"Julian, this is Autumn Trinity. She's going to be training alongside you. You two will be competing to see who will be the first captain of The White Queen."_

If ever there had been two people who disagreed more, the pair of them likely started wars with their hatred of each other. From the moment she stepped into the room, Julian was tense and glaring daggers. Likewise, Autumn kept herself guarded and ready to strike.

It took all of Emma's patience to deal with them that first day. And many of the days that followed. She would not have traded it for anything, however. She picked them to personally train for a reason.

One that showed the first time she had them run a "field mission". She hand selected a small team for each of them, watched from the tower's balcony as they maneuvered through the city.

Autumn was mindful of the civilians and took care not to get anyone hurt. She also stopped to help anyone who asked. She had a good heart, which came as a surprise after dealing with her father. Councilor Trinity was a harsh, unforgiving man that seemed to hate his daughter.

Of course, one trip into the young woman's head gave a full explanation.

Julian, on the other hand, was a little more reckless. He was focused on his goal. He lost one teammate early on, which seemed to fuel him further. The penalty would cost him later.

In the end, they tied. Julian may have lost a teammate, but Autumn squandered her time. They glared at each other for days following that event. Emma often entertained the thought they were a perfect pair; stubborn and hard headed, but passionate and determined.

Councilor Essex came to her with wishes from The Envoy two years after she began training them. It had been a rainy afternoon, just like when she announced to Julian that Autumn would be joining them.

They had come so far, the stubborn pair. She could recount with ease how much hostility had been shared between them. He accused her of gaining position because of her father that whole first year. She retorted with flying fists and an eagerness to prove herself.

Things changed after a holiday when both students went home. Autumn came back sullen and fierce and nothing Julian said or did got to her. She was a different woman.

Emma made a point after that to keep her during holidays.

"You've been rather quiet, Miss Frost." Councilor Essex pulled her from her memories, but she did not look at him. Her head cocked in his direction as she looked out the window.

"I see no reason to communicate with you beyond necessity, Councilor." Her tone was cold and hard, but she didn't care. She didn't like any of the Councilors. For that matter, she had no love for the mutant hating Envoy.

"Of course." He chuckled. She could hear his heavy footsteps as he came closer. "I wanted to speak with you about your two protégés."

"You said you carried the wishes of The Envoy." Emma glanced at him, feeling a chill settle over her. "Get to the point, I am a busy woman."

"He wishes to promote them in the summer." He said, his hands folding behind his back. "The Empire itself grows bored with our lack of progress in the military so he hopes that promoting two captains will show them we are still earnest in our endeavors of conquering this section of the world for them. As well as showing them we are still eager to provide them with soldiers for their designs."

Lambs for the slaughter.

"Does he have a second ship, then?" Emma scowled, looking back out the window. Her two students had been given a day of rest following a rough field mission; she was feeling notably generous.

"Yes. And there will be a series of tests to decide who receives which one, directed by The Envoy himself. I will have the paperwork delivered to you." Emma closed her eyes. She did not like where this was going. "Myself and the other Councilors will be watching to observe these tests."

"And my job?"

"You will administer and advise."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. She hated the way he said it, hated the twisting feeling in her gut as a result. Something about this felt wrong.

"Out of curiosity, Miss Frost, who do you think would be best suited to serving The Arcana?" He asked. Her heart jumped into her throat.

The Arcana was nothing short of cursed. Her previous Captains had all died or abandoned the Empire. Her final Captain had sought to destroy her in a final move against the Empire before disappearing. The official story, of course, was that Captain LeBeau died during her destruction.

No one knew the truth except for a small handful of people.

Captain LeBeau was not dead. The man who had gone after him had just narrowly been able to snatch the emblem of The Arcana from around his neck, almost dying in the process. But with that emblem also came the biggest secret from The Blind Captain.

Captain LeBeau was a mutant.

"Neither of them. That derelict shell isn't worth even the most pathetic captain." She snapped. She would not curse either of them.

"Odd. Councilor Trinity seems to favor his daughter obtaining the ship." She could hear the smile in his voice. "We shall just have to see what happens, won't we?"


	2. Two of Pentacles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Jean Grey has lived her life in a delicate balance until she gets too careless one day. Little does she know how much her world is going to be turned upside down.

Living just wasn't easy in the Colonies for a mutant. Let alone a mutant on the run.

Then again, when was life ever easy for her? Her powers developed when she was young and every day for the first few years, she was treated to the minds of the people around her. All their secret thoughts, minor annoyances, and everything in between. It sucked.

They grew to let her move things with her mind and it was difficult to control. At fourteen, she was thrown out. A danger to anyone who housed her, she was stuck fending for herself. It wasn't easy.

Four years later found her wondering if it was worth it to keep going.

Jean trudged along the streets of the Capitol, all alive in their excitement in the wake of some great military announcement. It had been three days since the announcement of two new captains, one for the fleet's new helm ship and the other for the legendary Arcana. The Arcana was once a dream for her, a symbol of hope.

Now it stood a haunting image of how cold the world really was.

Captain LeBeau had been rumored to be a mutant in certain circles. It depended on who you talked to, but some people claimed he was smuggling mutants somewhere safe. Others claimed he was just bringing them in undercover, and fewer still insisted he was recruiting them for a coup against the government. Jean never met him personally, so she couldn't quite determine which was true.

It didn't matter, however. The Arcana had come back from her final mission a couple of years ago being tugged by another ship in pieces. This new Arcana had some parts from the old ship from what she saw, but it was by no means The Arcana he had.

She slipped into a bar, drumming with excitement from the announcement still. Neither captain announced their crew yet, and both were in the unique position to enlist whoever they wanted. Despite not being military herself, Jean knew how it worked. If a captain named as such by The Envoy wanted some random stranger as a member of their crew, they were allowed.

It was an interesting position, to be named by The Envoy. Anyone named by Him was basically allowed whatever they wanted. For The Envoy to name two captains meant there was something going on, something wrong.

Thoughts floated through the bar, wondering how they could get the attention of a captain. Some had darker thoughts about Captain Trinity, some even questioning how Councilor Trinity's daughter got The Arcana. Jean scowled. Was it so unbelievable she had earned the position?

She caught herself being defensive over it and shook her head. She didn't even know her. Maybe they were right, maybe they weren't.

Almost as a reflex, she discreetly pulled money from the wallet of a patron who was too far in his cups. Everyone was too preoccupied to notice after all, and he wouldn't until he went to pay. Bars were usually the best places to hit for this sort of thing.

After picking a few more pockets, she got confident. Daring, even. Her next target was a drink that appeared unattended. She drew it close to her as discreetly as she could, then took a sip from it. She made a face. Whiskey.

"Mutant!" A man shouted. Jean looked in the direction of the voice to see a large man advancing on her. Maybe the drink hadn't been so unattended after all.

She backed away from him, her heart racing. She had to find a way out. Her mind raced and things around her shivered as her powers started to reach for anything and everything.

Then a pistol clicked. A young woman stood behind the man, her gun obscured. "Big boys like you shouldn't cry wolf like that."

The man turned to face her, allowing Jean a better look at the woman. She looked to be the same age, but was dressed as a Colonial Armada Officer. This had to be Captain Trinity.

Jean watched as the man tried to insist she was a mutant and proclaim her crime. Now was her chance. She tried to quietly slip out, relieved for the opening.

The gun clicked again and she heard the chink of metal against metal. She turned to see the pistol aimed at her now. Her stomach lurched and she considered just throwing the gun and running.

"Ah, ah." Captain Trinity waved the pistol back and forth like a wagging finger. "Outside."

Outside was good. There were places to hide and she could use her powers a little more freely. If only she could actually believe it was safer outside.

She walked out slowly, stiffly, resisting the urge to peek into the other woman's mind.

"I-I didn't-" She stopped before she could get out the words as her world shivered. Thousands of small, white butterflies filled the little alley, then snow. Cannon fire filled the air and the snowy image shattered, giving her back the image of the alley.

Captain Trinity was the daughter of the religious Councilor. He spoke often and loudly about the threat of mutants, of how they were abominations and a sign of how God would abandon humanity if they were allowed to live. No one hated mutants more than him.

It also seemed that his daughter was the very thing he hated.

"You're one, too?" She asked. Captain Trinity nodded and she smiled. The Arcana had a good captain, then. Maybe.

The Captain still held her pistol out and Jean felt her smile fall. Maybe she wasn't a good one, then. Perhaps she was buying her own safety. The Captain chuckled, sending a shiver down her spine. "So he wasn't just a drunk."

"Please don't turn me in," Jean felt ashamed at her own begging, but she was horrified at the thought of ending up a prisoner. If this woman was anything like her father, it would not bode well for her.

The Captain watched her with a look of surprise, then holstered her pistol and shook her head. A smile tugged at her lips. Jean could hear her own heart beating.

"You got a name, kid?" She asked. Jean felt her body go numb as her mind raced. The gun was no longer a threat, but she was unsure what that could mean.

"Jean," she paused. "Jean Grey. So you're not turning me in?"

The Captain chuckled and shook her head again. Jean slowly relaxed, finding she was able to breathe again at last. How long had she been holding her breath? When did she even start?

"No, I'm doing far worse," she said. Jean stepped back, her eyes wide and her heart racing again. Then the woman held up her necklace, the symbol of The Arcana proudly dangling from it. "I'm hiring you."

Jean almost dropped to her knees and start laughing, half hysterical. All that fear for nothing. This woman was insane.

"You don't wanna join the greatest crew of all time?" The Captain asked, her smile turning into a frown. "I thought anyone would jump to serve..."

"No, it isn't that!" Jean exclaimed, offering her a bright smile. "This entire time, I expected to die."

Captain Trinity's expression turned solemn as she approached. She placed a hand on her shoulder and Jean stared into her eyes, finding herself tempted to delve into her mind. She was unlike all the rest she had met; the idea of learning all she could was attractive.

"I swear as long as I live, I'm going to do all that I can to keep you safe and alive, got it?" She asked. Jean nodded and she smiled. "We're going to change this world, Miss Grey. Just you wait and see."


End file.
